Sapporo City may have found an attractive spot for a new stadium for the Nippon Ham Fighters. But since they do not own the land, they will first need to work out some sort of an agreement with the current owners.

The plot of land under consideration is about a kilometer from Sapporo Dome and covers about sixty hectares (145 acres). The land is owned by Hakko Gakuen and is currently being used by the Hokkaido Agricultural Technical College for farming and livestock.

Sapporo City Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto met Nippon Ham Team Representative Toshimasa Shimada earlier today and formally submitted the city’s stadium proposal. Two were locations were included in the proposal: an area in the Kita Ward that includes Hokkaido University property (about ten hectares) and an area in the Toyohira Ward near Hakko Gakuen (about thirteen hectares). The city would like to see the Fighters stay.

The Fighters and Sapporo City held their first meeting on May 1. The city provided the team with more information about the available land and area transportation. The Fighters asked the city about the possibility of expanding the size of the property, since they are interested in building a natural grass domed stadium with commercial areas on about twenty hectares of land. The two sides are brainstorming various possibilities.

The Fighters have already met Kitahiroshima City five times to discuss their proposal. They will meet Sapporo City once or twice a month moving forward. They are hoping to have a decision some time around March 2018.